


Autumn People

by redradioflyer



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Autumn, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Fae & Fairies, Halloween, M/M, fall carnival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 16:50:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17084087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redradioflyer/pseuds/redradioflyer
Summary: Alfred is going for a jog in the park on a brisk autumn morning when he comes upon an unusual little festival that seemed to pop up out of nowhere. He stops for the fun but realizes that he might not be somewhere normal at all. A handsome man with red hair and flashing eyes asks him to tour the carnival with him, and Alfred might be a little smitten. But hey, is that the guy that disappeared from his college last fall?





	Autumn People

> “October Country … that country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and mid-nights stay. That country composed in the main of cellars, sub-cellars, coal-bins, closets, attics, and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain… 
> 
> -Ray Bradbury,  _The October Country_

The crunch of leaves is a calming sound for Alfred. He likes to run at dusk before the darkness sets in, and the brightly colored leaves of the trees along the path makes it a lovely run. The  _crunch crunch crunch_ underfoot is pleasing enough that he runs with his earbuds dangling useless on his chest. Music helps him forget, to run without worries, but this kind of white noise makes him think. 

Right now, he’s thinking about autumn and about love. He knows that spring is supposed to be the season of love, of course. Everyone knows that. Find that spark in spring and let it turn into a bright summer love. At the moment, all Alfred can figure that means is being too sweaty for make outs and being uncomfortably warm while trying to cuddle. 

Autumn though… that means holding hands in a lover’s pocket to fight off the chill, drinking warm cider together, and chilly nights spent cuddled together by campfires. Then there was the promise of winter nights watching snow and sharing hot chocolate flavored kisses. His opinion definitely had nothing to do with his summer romance going sideways mid-June- long before summer was even over. 

Alfred rounds toward home, fog rolling in with the chill. He hums tunelessly, imagining who he might ask to the fall festival as his date… a strange thing to be excited about since he usually went with his friends… But they had a dancing and food and games- all the things you need for a really nice date. 

They even had a fall king and queen- though that part was usually high school kids, and Alfred was too old for those festivities. Sad because he’d only moved to town for the college and his own city hadn’t had fall royalty. 

There are a few people he could ask, but he knows since no one in particular was jumping out at him as a best option that it still might not be a good date. After all, how could he get excited about a date if he wasn’t excited about the person he invites? 

Well, his friend had said that he knows some people, and he was willing to hook him up with a lovely date. But a date with a stranger wasn’t necessarily the best fun either. 

As he thinks about all these things, he hasn’t realized that the fog is getting thicker and he’s veered off his normal path through the wooded park. The leaves are thick enough that he hadn’t even realized there was a new fork in the path. Beyond that, he soon finds the falling down stone walls that encloses the park. 

He doesn’t notice that they’re in greater disrepair and that vines are growing up over them. It isn’t until he’s come down a hill around a bend in the path to find that it dead ends instead of continuing around the circuit. Instead, there's a large round field with a pavilion at the center. All around the edges are fairy lights and tents of fall colors- burnt oranges and deep reds. People mill about eating candied apples and talking. 

They’re all wearing masks like some sort of Halloween masquerade. Many of them are monsters, but there are animal masks too. At a throne in the center, a tall muscular man with long blond hair sits, crowned in fall leaves. He’s also wearing a mask- it’s a stylized artful moose with large antlers. 

There are leaves wrapped around the antlers as well. Beside him in a second throne, another, slighter man wears a deer mask, and he’s similarly crowned. 

Alfred hesitates and glances back, then ahead. He’s disoriented coming out somewhere he doesn’t expect, and for a second he doesn’t know what to say. A man wearing a mask like a raven turns toward him, and he seems to take an interest. 

Like the other party goers, he seems to be mostly dressed in more casual clothes, only the mask to mark them out. There are a few people in more elaborate clothing, but this man simply wears a black jacket over a plain white t-shirt. With the tattered jeans and well worn leather boots, the man might look like he’s wearing a greaser costume. The only thing out of a place is the black raven beak and the feathers obscuring the view of his dark red hair. 

“You don’t have a mask,” the man says. “If you want to come to the Autumn Court, you need the proper gear~” 

There’s a hint of humor in his voice, and Alfred blinks at him in confusion. “Uh, I’ve never heard of the Autumn Court…” He glances past him to the fair. “Is this a new thing or…?” 

“No this happens every year,” the man replies. He offers his hand. “I’m Tommy. If you come down to my tent, I can get you equipped.” 

Alfred hesitates, but he takes his hand and smiles. “Uhm, well it might be fun to wander around a bit. I’m Alfred.” 

So he lets himself be led down to one of the red tents, and he finds himself being rushed through what is definitely a fashion booth. The man at his side has good taste at least, and Alfred soon finds himself pulling a jacket over his shirt. Then a pair of nice trousers and mask like a hawk. 

“There you go. A hawk knight," Tommy says in approval admires Alfred's finished look. "I figured we might match, just a bit.” 

When Alfred turns to point out that a greaser didn’t really match, he finds that Tommy has changed into something a lot more prince like. But the man’s mask is still off after his quick change, revealing a handsome face. He is now wearing a prince’s costume. 

“Why do you get to be a king and I’m a knight?” Alfred says, but he feels comfortable despite the fact that he’s been locked into a pair costume.

Tommy simply flashes him a teasing smile in return before moving to put his mask back on. Once Tommy’s mask is secured, they become a raven king and a hawk knight- a lovely matching set. Alfred is pretty sure this man is flirting, and he’s also rather sure that he wants to return the favor. 

“Why don’t we go out to enjoy the fair?” Alfred asks with a smile and an offer of his arm.

“Gladly,” Tommy says back. 

~~

The Autumn Court is full of ghouls and animals and faeries. It’s the greatest collection of strange costumes, ghostly music, and fall food that Alfred has ever been too. Even the weather suits the mood, with the fog hanging thick around the grounds. Dusk seems to linger, and as night comes, more lanterns are lit to go with the twinkling lights hung in the trees.  

Tommy turns out to be a funny, fascinating man, and despite the way he teases, Alfred decides that he likes him. This is exactly what he’d imagined by an autumn romance, and Alfred thinks that he could easily invite Tommy along to the town’s fall festival. 

This was something different after all- Some other group’s festivities that he’s wandered into. It’s almost like a fae festival or a renaissance fair with many people in more classical fashionable looks. There are more modern costumes of course, but the event is definitely not strictly a fall or Halloween fair.

They wander the fair playing games and eating food. The booths are beautiful as well, selling all kind of handcrafts. Alfred soon finds himself slipping his fingers into Tommy’s, as though it was simply the most natural thing in the world to do. 

Tommy just flashes his sharp grin and presses a kiss to his cheek. “Care to dance with me, little hawk?” 

Alfred agrees. There are whispers as they make it out to the dance floor- _“The Raven King has picked a partner_ ” “ _Who’s the knight?_ ” “ _Is this his year?_ ”  - but Alfred is too caught in Tommy’s gaze to think too deeply on their meanings. 

The dance is slow first, intimate and soft. They’re pressed in close and they move together. Alfred’s cheeks are warm and red so he’s glad that his face is hidden by the mask. 

“You’re a handsome guy, ya know that, Sir Hawk?” Tommy’s breath is against his ear for a second, their chests pressed close as they dance in a slow easy circle. 

“I bet you tell all the dudes that…” Alfred murmurs, pulling back to look up into his face. Tommy moves forward, chasing him, but their beaks click together this time. 

Alfred laughs and Tommy straightens up. He’s sure that Tommy would be shorter if he wasn’t wearing heeled boots. 

“Of course not,” Tommy replies. “You’re my first partner in many cycles.” 

“Cycles?” Alfred repeats, but before Tommy can say more, the music is picking up into something livelier. 

Tommy grins and leads him into a romping dance. It’s high energy and although Alfred has never done it before, his feet fall into the rhythm easily and smoothly. Alfred loves it, and the attention from the crowd is utterly lost on him. He only has eyes for Tommy. 

And so they dance until the men on the throne rise. 

“Tonight we crown the next Autumn King. My King and I,” Here the man in the moose mask pauses to take the deer’s hand, “have chosen two more kings to serve as the next Autumn Royalty.” 

There’s cheers from the crowd, and Tommy flashes a huge hopeful grin. “We stand a good chance this year,” he says softly. “I knew we would.” 

Indeed, the Moose King finds them with his eyes. His smile is barely there, but Alfred can feel the warmth of it somehow. 

“The Raven and the Hawk,” the man calls out decisively. 

Tommy gives a roaring cheer, and he pushes up his mask so he can swoop in and kiss Alfred’s mouth. “C’mon, little hawk. Let’s go take our crown.” 

Alfred is too dazed and smiling too wide to say anything. After Tommy’s mask is back in place, they move up to the stage hand in hand. They’re crowned by the deer and the moose to whooping cheers of the crowd. Alfred is embarrassed but the eagerness of the crowd stirs up his playful side. 

He raises his and Tommy’s hands together and he beams at the crowd when they go crazy again. The crown of fall leaves and vines feel strange, especially over the top of feathers on his mask. 

There’s more festivities after that, and Alfred is caught up in it. More games, more food, plenty of people asking to dance and talk with him… But Alfred’s attention always ends up on the Raven King, excited and smiling on his Autumn throne. 

It feels like it must be midnight, but it must be hours since they reached that point… But time lingered there, and the party goes on and on. Alfred doesn’t tire though. There’s an energy to the party- one he recognizes as that rush he might passing a cemetery after dark or when a house creaks suddenly at night. 

The crowd starts to disperse down stone paths leading out of the festival circle. They’re narrow and leading into the woods. Alfred hadn’t noticed these other paths before, covered as they are in leaves. He tries to search out the dirty path he came in on and it’s barely visible now in the fog and the dead leaves. 

This is when the man in the deer mask pulls him aside. “Congratulations,” he says with a shy smile. He pushes up the mask to reveal a cute face and big blue eyes.

It takes him a bit aback because he knows this face from somewhere… He doesn’t put it together until the man says, “I’m Matthew Williams. Nice to meet you.” 

“Matthew…” And then Alfred gasps. The man isn’t wearing his glasses, but Alfred has seen pictures of him countless times before. “You’re the one that went missing last year. You were in my psych class.” 

“Oh dear, yes I figured it must’ve been a while since then. Time doesn’t move the same in the October Country.” Matthew smiles. “I wandered in here same as you.” There’s more people disappearing into the trees, a quiet crunch of feet through the leaves. 

Matthew glances back at the Moose King, and he gives an apologetic smile. “I have to hurry. This is your one chance. Come and be the Autumn King for this cycle or go back. The doorway to the human world closes.” There’s a quiet urgency to his voice. “This isn’t a decision to made lightly, but I didn’t realize until I saw your shoes when you came out of the crowd.” 

They both glance down at his Nikes, and he laughs incredulously. Alfred doesn’t know what he means or what this all adds up to. He starts to speak, but Matthew explains hastily as though anticipating his question. 

“It’s a different world… like the fae or elves or something. The October Country. It’s connected to our world, but it’s not. Sometimes new people wander in from… other places. You came from my world but there are others. You can go back tonight only. Or you’re stuck there until the next Autumn Court.” 

Alfred is starting to feel the urgency, and he glances back to see Tommy has joined the Moose King. They watch Alfred and Matthew talk, but while they exchange quiet words, neither of them approach. 

“And you…” Alfred asks, “Why did you stay…?” 

Matthew smiles radiantly. “I always thought I must’ve wandered in because it was fate.” He blushes and glances back. He fidgets. “I found something worth staying for so… I’m not going to try to tell you what to do, Hawk King, but perhaps you found this place for a reason too.” 

So Alfred watches Matthew put his mask back down and hurry back to the moose’s side. The larger man wraps an arm around Matthew’s shoulder, and together they make their way out into the woods. 

Then Alfred finds himself facing Tommy. The other is just watching him, and then he glances back toward the foggy path that Alfred had followed in. There is pleading in Tommy’s eyes, but he smiles. 

“It’s your choice, Alfred,” he says and he dips into a bow. “You are free to go back. I won’t force you to stay. Either way, I know that you are my Autumn King.” 

Alfred hesitates, looking toward the path then back at Tommy. The man doesn’t move, doesn’t approach. He just tilts his head like a bird might and smiles at him. 

“Thank you,” Tommy says. “No matter what you do, thank you for tonight.” 

Then Alfred remembers the words from before- how he hasn’t had anyone in several cycles, how the others whispered about the Raven finally having a partner. It only takes him one more glance back before he huffs out a breath. 

“I’m hardly the kinda guy who walks away from a magical kingship in a distant land,” he says, grinning like a child. He steps forward and takes hold of Tommy’s hand. “Show me to this October Country.” 

Tommy grins. “It’s beautiful there. I’ll show you everything.” 

Alfred laughs and says, “It better be. I expect to be entertained. Kings deserve the best after all right?” And he feels that excitement he hasn’t felt the since he was twelve years old, and he was wildly running free in his neighborhood in costume with a bag full of candy. 

Of course, in the back of his head he wonders what kind of rumors will start when he’s missed. Another student from the same college disappearing a year apart around Halloween? That would cause a stir and all kinds of crazy rumors. 

But it’s Halloween and with all the urban legends and horror stories, who’s going to believe that spirits are snatching up college students? 

 


End file.
